Mood Swing
by Galateagirl
Summary: This is a challenge, from Me the Anon One. It is also my So long and thanks for all the fish, if you will. Danny figures it all out, in his own stupid way.


"**A challenge for you. One Shot - Make it completely Danny-centric, but not told in first person. No one else's thoughts or emotions are explored. Make it entirely from the mind of Danny, and he thinks Tucker and Sam are dating, but are keeping it a secret from him...Truth is, with Jazz's help they are planning a surprise birthday party for him...No feelings are revealed, except for perhaps Danny realizing the love he has for Sam, and is scared to tell her."**

**I totally screwed up the last part, but whatever. I'm tired and this is the last ff I'm posting for a long time.**

Danny entered school, nearly drooling with lack of sleep. He _hated_ writing essays and always procrastinated until the last few hours. The history essay on Watergate was due today and he finished it three hours ago, right before his minimal sleep. It felt as if it had only been seconds between resting his heavy head on his pillow and then jolting away to the urgent screech of his alarm clock.

He ruffled a hand through his already electric hair, yawning as he turned a corner. His eyes drooped, but he felt them burst open with shock at the sight in front of him. He froze.

Tucker. Sam. Hugging. In front of his locker. Breaking apart, easily, without embarrassment. Chatting excitedly. Laughing.

Danny felt the air in his chest disappear. He couldn't breathe. His stomach hurt. What did this mean? Were they… They couldn't… A grin broke across his face and he took in a deep breath, smug to the tips of his toes.

His best friends were _dating_. That was their secret. That was what they whispered behind hands when they thought he wasn't looking. That was why they were always together, always playing off one another, teasing each other, yelling at each other. They were together and had been trying to keep a secret from him.

The two were still talking, not even noticing him standing the middle of the hallway like a boulder in a stream, rivulets of students moving around him, jostling him.

Danny was joyous, proud. He had figured it out. Tucker and Sam. Sam and Tucker, his two best friends in the whole world. Dating. He was clueless no more! And yet… That feeling in his stomach was still there. That weight. Loss? Why…

Sam spotted him. "Danny! What are you doing there? Class is in, like, two minutes!" She smiled good-naturedly like she always did, her beautiful purple eyes twinkling in a way he never really realized before. It made him want to smile, but it brought the stomachache back again when he realized those eyes loved Tucker.

He shook it off. "Yeah…" He walked quickly to his locker, grabbing his stuff for Math and science, splitting up the newly discovered couple. He felt grim satisfaction in that, but he still couldn't figure out why. Where had he felt this before? "I'm really tired. Essay, you know…" He forced a smile directly at Sam, who looked puzzled but smiled back.

Tucker answered, in that annoying, jarring voice of his. "The procrastinator in the flesh! I had _my_ essay done a week ago." He puffed out his skinny, scrawny chest, trying to look manly but failing miserably in Danny's eyes.

"Give it a rest, Tuck." Sam scoffed, cleverly, striding down the hallway on her perfect legs.

Danny ran to catch up with her, soaring on the fact that they shared the same Math class, happy that Sam failed in this one subject. She smiled at him as she continued to walk, letting a friendly silence settle as it usually did. He smiled back, but the weight was getting heavier and its origin was still unknown.

Math was boring, Mr. Pelato's voice was nasally, Sam was taking earnest notes, and Danny was paying no attention whatsoever. Same as usual. Danny was staring into space, his mind filled with sickening visions. Sam and Tucker holding hands, hugging, kissing. I was nauseating and he switched positions every so often, trying to clear them from his mind like junk mail into a trashcan but like junk mail more kept coming. Sam and Tucker sharing ice cream, dancing, walking with their hands on each other's waists, bile rose in Danny's throat as they kiss, Sam moans-

"Danny?"

He jumped and yelped. Sam's voice, clear as daylight in his horrific day dreams sent him hurtling back to the now-empty Math classroom. Her eyes, her gorgeous, unique eyes were troubled as they looked at him, wondering if the nurse is necessary in such a situation. His eyes moved to look at her lips. They should have been swollen from his passionate daydream, but no, they looked normal and soft. He felt himself leaning for them and jumps up. "No!"

Sam was more puzzled than ever. "Danny, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, no problem really," he's fumbling, trying to stuff everything into his bag. "No worries, just heading off to Science and you're going to English so I'll see you in Free and I've got to go, so Bye!" He raced away, faster than sounds from her lips, heart beating and mind getting to big for his head with all these discoveries in one morning.

_I love Sam._

It was his one discernible thought. The rest were blurs, car headlamps on a highway, but this one thought. This one incredible, impossible thought. _I love Sam._ The weight was lifted. All weights. He was free, faster, smarter than ever before. _I love Sam. _It was so simple, so true. He had always loved Sam. He had loved her since that time in seventh grade when she was still the weird new kid in black and gave Dash that black eye. His heart swelled and he felt his ears grow warm with the blood rushing to hem because of embarrassment and joy and exhilaration. His pace quickened until he was running down the halls, pale blurs of faces turning towards him in his wake as he ran to Science on this beautiful fuel, this wonderful gift. _I love Sam._

Then he slowed and stopped, directly outside the Science room. His breath escaped him once again. _She's Tucker's._ This was known, but the blow hit him twice as hard, now that he knew what he lost.

Danny entered the Science room, slowly, treading through his own misery of his enlightenment.

"Danny!" Tucker called out, waving him over.

Tucker. Danny's angry thought rushed towards the boy he walked towards with a blank face. Stupid Tucker, with his stupid hat, and his stupid glasses. His jealousy of Danny's powers caused so many problems! He was a problem!

Thankfully Danny's face remained blank during class as he sat next to Tucker. Not that he spoke to the boy who had ruined his life.

Danny decided to avoid his friends for the rest of the day. Yes, he sat next to them during lunch and classes, but he didn't speak, lost in his mind. Lunch was spent thinking how they could have got together in the first place, which flowed into hw he didn't notice, which became how could his friends laugh about this behind his back? Calling him clueless one? In this state, school dragged and flew at the same time. Every class was an eternity, but it contained only second's worth of discernible thought.

"Danny. C'mon. Let's walk home."

Danny's head rose slowly, almost lethargically. Tucker stood in front of him, a puzzled and concerned look on his face. For the first time, Danny wondered if he had worried his friends with his behavior. His suspicions were confirmed. "You were kind of out of it all day." Tucker said cautiously. "Shouldn't you be happy? I mean, it's your day."

Danny puzzled over this thought for a minute as he carefully placed every book in his bag. It was discarded when he realized he was walking home with his tormentor, the person keeping his treasure from him. He rose slowly, pulling his bag at an arms length before swinging it onto his back. "Where's Sam?" He asked, in a dull voice. _Wouldn't he be walking with her? Wouldn't he walk his girlfriend home?_

"She decided to walk home alone." Tucker said quickly. Danny didn't look up, staring at his Science textbook.

At least Danny wouldn't have to put up with them as a couple. He began to walk, still quiet. Tucker had to jog to keep up with Danny's fast walk, to escape home, to get out of this building choking him. He burst through the doors and took a deep breath, but did not feel liberated, as he had hoped. Disappointed, he trudged home with Tucker still at his heels, making small talk about technology.

Outside the Fenton house, Danny began climbing the stairs. Tucker didn't follow, merely saying, "You can tell me you know." Danny turned around, aroused from his state by the odd turn in the conversation. "You can tell me if you're having any problems or-"

Danny' rage bubbled as he heard the words, increasing with every hypocritical statement. He blew when he heard this offer of confidence. "Oh, yeah? Like you told me about you and Sam!" His fists were clenched, white knuckles standing out in sharp relief to his regular skin tone.

Tucker took a step backwards, as if recovering from a blow. "Me and_ Sam_? What are you talking about?"

Danny felt the bonds that had stretched inside his chest all day snapping one by one. _Acting all surprised. _"I saw you two hugging. _This morning. _How long were you planning to keep me in the dark?" He was walking down the steps. He could feel his eyes flashing green and blood quickening with rage throughout his body. "_Joking_ about me. Calling me _clueless one_. Don't I even deserve to know my best friends are dating?" He stopped a foot from his "best friend", anger restrained by his one remaining ounce of self-control.

Tucker had looked scared while Danny talked but, as he processed what was said, disbelief spread across his face. He began sputtering, "You… think _Sam _and I are…" His face lit up and he began laughing uproariously.

Danny deflated. All righteous anger left him as his friend cracked up over his well thought out theory. "…What?" He asked, fingers separating and muscles relaxing.

Tucker laughed but was slowly running out of steam. "**Deep Breath**… Sam and me?... **More laughter**…. We're not going out… More laughter… No chance EVER." He got his breath back and looked at Danny, amused and disbelieving. "_That's_ what's been bugging you all day?"

Embarrassment and relief flooded through Danny, turning his face bright red. "Well…"

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Just go inside." He said, giving him a push towards the stoop.

Massive confusion. Danny did as he was told, cautiously opening the door.

"SURPRISE!" yelled his friends and family. Sam was right in front of the group, smiling as if the word Goth had never crossed her mind.

Danny stood frozen one hand on the door.

Sam groaned, still beaming and ran forward to give him a hug. "It's your birthday, stupid." Her sultry voice whispered in his ear. Act like you know what we're talking about."

His Dad yelled. "Danny! Blow out the candles so we can dig in!" Maddie elbowed him in the massive stomach.

Danny smiled. This was release. Knowing that nothing was wrong, everybody was happy and to top it all off, it was his birthday. The surprise party was true to its name and more. How could he have been such a dolt as to forget his own birthday?

He smiled at Sam, whose arm was still around his waist. She blushed and withdrew her hand.

Danny grinned and faced the celebrators. He knew now whom he wanted to be with. No more Paulina. No more Valerie. There was time for Sam. There was time.

And it was his day.

**I know this is pretty short, but I don't care. This is for Me the Anon One, who is awesome.**

**Guys, don't send me anything along the lines of "come back/ update this/ miss you". I'll just get guilty and depressed. I need to focus on school and I will come back when I can. You can understand that, right?**

**To all my friends I met through FF: I love you guys!**

**Bye!**


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